Like Pokémon anime featuring Ash begins to come to an end, many of Ash’s old companions in Pokémon have made guest appearances. However, May and her brother Max were not among them, with their appearances limited to an unspeakable cameo. It turns out that the reason for May’s absence has some tragic real-world roots.
May is the first female character to join Ash’s group, replacing the position that once belonged to Misty. She’s also the first female anime character based on the game’s main character, something that will become a bit of a tradition with Ash’s companions, at least until XY. May also began exploring the Pokémon Contest, a new mechanic in the game Ruby and Sapphire that gives her a much clearer aim than Misty’s. Obviously, in retrospect, May was a hugely influential character for anime, so her absence from the series’ final season is notable. However, it wasn’t because they didn’t want to bring May back; it is not an option.
Possibly absent from Pokémon out of respect for her actress
In the original Japanese version of the Pokémon anime, May (known as Haruka) is voiced by an actress named Kaori. Kaori voiced May during the Hoenn era of the anime, and also when she appeared in Diamond and Pearl. However, in 2012, Kaori announced that she had received some medical news that would seriously affect her career. Kaori has a condition called spasmodic dysphonia, which affects her ability to speak and sing. According to her announcement, she first started having problems in 2007, which is around the time of May’s (say) last appearance in the anime. Kaori took a break from singing and dubbing in 2012 due to this diagnosis.
Although it has never been stated (at least in English) that this is the reason for May’s absence, it seems that the makers of the Pokémon anime did not want to re-enact May due to this change, and instead that chooses to simply leave. she goes out. Max, as her younger brother, couldn’t easily show up without making excuses for May’s absence, so he was also replaced. Although May does not appear beyond her silent cameo in Journeys, she is mentioned several times, especially in the episode “Reuniting for the First Time!”, which sees Serena guiding Chloe through world of Pokémon Contest. At one point, Serena was tried on by Chloe in an outfit once worn by the “Princess of Hoenn”—none other than May herself. While May would be the ideal choice for a cameo in this episode, they could at least pay their respects to Kaori and her role as May.
The Pokémon anime’s decision not to rerun May in Japan was a bold one, but when a character has been played by the same actress for as many episodes as May, replacing them isn’t easy. Kaori expressed in her announcement that she hopes to return to the stage one day, and there are certainly many. Pokémon The fans also want to see it again.
